Pollution. The word brings to mind landfills, garbage dumps, raw sewage pouring into the ocean, a haze of smog hanging over a city. Webster's Dictionary defines pollution as something which is foul, unclean, tainted, or contaminated.

The Pulayan people of the Kerala and Tamil Nadu states of India know a lot about this word. Their name is derived from pula, which means pollution. And as members of the bottom Dalit rung of Hindu society, they are often treated like trash.

Along with most other Dalits, the Pulayans are landless. Many are engaged as agricultural laborers, serving higher caste landowners without significant pay.

Their economic status parallels their spiritual state. The Pulayans are enslaved by a host of false gods, including Mankombu Bhagwati, Siva, Vishnu, and Ayyappa.

The Pulayans are known to be talented craftsmen and basket makers. They also have a tradition of oral storytelling and folk songs. When they are not working to please their landlords, they enjoy singing and dancing to the music of drums and stringed instruments.

* Pray for God to change the identity of the Pulayans from "people of pollution" to "people of Light and Life."
* Ask Him to set them free from the social and economic bondage of being Dalits, as well as the spiritual chains of Hinduism.
* Pray for these agricultural laborers to be open to the gospel, to begin seeking to please the Lord Jesus Christ, and to respond with singing and dancing to God's Kingdom.

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